Plasterer&#39;s float.



' theseholes and into the channel in the hand I UNITED: s'rATns PATENT OFFICE.-

PLASTERERS FLOATi Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 11, 1906 Application filed June 28, 1905. Serial No. 267.446.

T0 wZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, OSCAR M. SPANGLEJR, a citizen of the United States, residing at Los Angeles, in the county of Los Angeles and State of California, have invented new and useful Improvements in Plasterers Floats, of which the following isaspecification.

My invention relates to a float for finishing a plastered wall; and the object thereof is to provide a float with a plurality of removable finishing-faces, any one of which may be I three or four times a day. With the floats in.

ordinary use the carpet is usually tacked to the body of the float, which is of wood. This takes some little time and often leaves rough edges, and after alittle while the wooden body will not hold the tacks, so that it must be discarded and a new body put on the handle. The nailin of the carpet to the body and the removal of the same therefrom takes time, besides usin up a considerable quantity of tacks. It aflso takes more time to prepare a float for finishing the cove of the ceilings, as a pad must be used under the carpet.

With my im roved float the different changes of finis and easily made.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view of my improved float. Fig. 2 is a central longitudinal vertical section. Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the binding base-plate. Fig. 4 is a section on the line 4 4 of Fi 2 lookin in the direction of the arrow a part of the handle broken away and a pad inclosed for use in making a cove ceiling.

In the drawings, 5 is the handle, which may be made of wood or any suitable material. To this handle is rigidly secured the baseplate 6. Near each end of the base-plate and extending therethrough are holes 7, which register with channels 8 inthe handle. Studs 9, secured tothe trowel-blade 10, pass throng e. The surfaces of these studs adjacent the ends of the handles are provided with serrations g-surface can be quicklyor teeth 1 1, which are engaged by the ends of locking-bolts 12, which are mounted in the ends of the handle. Springs 13 hold these bolts in spring-pressed engagement, as shown in Fig. 2, with the studs of the trowel-blade. When a rough finish is required, a piece of carpet 14 is placed beneath the trowel-blade, with the edges of the carpet turned over the edges of the trowel-blade, so that they will project beneath the base-plate, and the handle and base-plate are then placed upon the studs of the trowel-blade and are forced downwardly thereon until the edges of the carpet are securely held between the baseplate and the trowel-blade. When the float is to be used in finishing the cove of a ceiling, I place on top of the carpet a pad of felt 15, as shown in Fig. 4, and then place the binding-plate on the felt and assemble the parts, as before explained. The edges of the felt are rounded, as shown in Fig. 4, so as to fit the cove of the ceiling. Where it is desirable to frequently change from a wooden to a steel finishingplate for the surface of the float, I

provide studs 9 with tapered heads 9, which can be passed through the steel or wood trowel-blade, as wood or steel is used, suitable holes being provided in such trowelblades.

By this construction it will be seen that a plasterers float is provided in which the finishing-surface can be quickly and easily changed from one material to another, so as to fit the float for different kinds of work, thereby'doing away with the expense attend ant upon having a handle for each differentkind of float, as well as saving storage-room for a given number of floats, also enabling the operator to quickly change the carpet surface of the float without wasting time or tacks in tacking the same to the body of the float, and also enabling the operator to quickly change his float so as to use it for finishing the cove of the ceiling. Where lightness of the float is desirable, I prefer to make the base-plate of aluminium.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a plasterers float, the combination with a base-plate and handle, of a' trowelblade having toothed dowel-pins adapted to enter sockets in the base-plate and handle, and spring-actuated catches slidably mounted in one of said parts in position to automatically engage and lock said dowel-pins and the outer ends of the catches protruding Whereby they are accessible to the operator, so that they may be Withdrawn and the parts unlocked preparatory to being disassembled.

2. As an article of manufacture, a plasterers float comprising two parts, namelya handle having a baselate and a trowel-blade adapted to be enve oped in a pad, which pad is retained upon the trowel-blade by the base plate, and an automatic lockin device a part of which is located in the ban 1e and the re- In Witness that I claim the foregoing I have I 5 hereunto subscribed my name this 23d day of June, 1905.

OSCAR M. SPAN GLER.

Witnesses:

G. E. HARPHAM, MYRTLE A. JoNEs. 

